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64 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A STORY OF ADDICTION, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY A STORY OF TRIUMPH, August 22, 2007
What we have here is quite possibly the best pure rock album release in years. I know that when reading CD reviews you often hear statements like that, but in the case of this CD it just so happens to be true. Simply put, this CD is phenomenal, lyrically and musically, and is an accomplishment that Nikki should be very proud of. While Queensrÿche's 'Operation Mindcrime' is widely regarded as the best concept rock album of all time, I personally find this non-fiction concept album to be a bit more cohesive and enjoyable to listen to, and certainly worthy of consideration for that title. Jedd Beaudoin who wrote the Amazon Editorial Review above is way off the mark in every single aspect of his review, and absolutely and completely missed the point of this album. In a fair and accurate nutshell his review says that he does not like this CD because it does not sound like Mötley Crüe, and it is not upbeat enough. In turn I will put my comments about his review for this CD in a fair and accurate nutshell; what a f***ing feeble-minded douchebag, how did this dolt get a job reviewing CD's, he needs to go and do something he's good at.
With this CD, Nikki Sixx, the undeniable heart and soul of Mötley Crüe, has released an album that clearly demonstrates why Mötley Crüe attained the success they did in the 80's and 90's. The success attained was certainly not because of Vince Neil's singing, Mick Mars' guitar playing, or even Tommy Lee's incredible drumming, NO, it was because of Nikki Sixx's songwriting, period. You've got to love the tortured artist, they are almost without exception the most inspired, creative and brilliant songwriters. I think it is very likely that without the talent of Nikki Sixx Mötley Crüe would have been just another 80's band, which few would currently even remember. But that is of course only a hypothetical argument, as Nikki was the founding member and there never would have been a Mötley Crüe without him.
Nikki, a prolific and masterful songwriter, with this album gives us a ticket to ride along with him on his self-destructive journey through life and rock stardom in the late 80's utilizing his personal journal or 'Heroin Diary'. While most of us will find very little in the life of a heroin addicted rock star dealing with many personal demons to be personally relatable, that is not the point of this album. Perhaps much like a bad movie (but a very good album), this album is a candid glimpse into the life of a rock star who has all the success imaginable, but behind all of the glamour of rock stardom is a man finding himself constantly fighting depression and the demons from a troubled youth. While for a rock star it's certainly not a far-fetched story, on the other hand it's not your typical rock album subject matter either. And while some may find the subject matter to be a bit heavy and unsettling, I only see this album as a welcomed breath of fresh air. And don't we really have enough meaningless bulls**t rock albums to listen to anyway?
This album is what would generally be labeled a concept album, however, it is more correctly identified on the CD cover as a soundtrack. No, there is no movie, but there is a book, with each of the 13 songs on this album coinciding with a chapter of the book. This is a soundtrack to the book, 'The Heroin Diaries - A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star', and of course a soundtrack to Nikki's life in the late 80's.
In conclusion, while this album is about a self-destructive rock star hitting rock-bottom, in the end it is also about finding that needed moment of clarity, and eventually, realizing recovery. And inspired by his addiction and recovery Nikki founded his own charity, Running Wild In The Night, a fundraising initiative for Covenant House Of California, which aims to keep young children off the streets, and keep them off the path that Nikki went down when he was younger. In fact, a portion of the proceeds from this project will go to support this cause. So, you see, this ends up a being a story with a happy ending, and hopefully... happily ever after.
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29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blown Away!, August 25, 2007
The latest offering from Nikki Sixx's penchant for doing small solo projects is a testament to not only his talent as a songwriter, but also his range as a musician. That's not to discount the efforts of guitarist DJ Ashba and singer James Michael (who also mixed the songs). Nikki has stated explicitly in interviews that this CD was a collaborative effort, and the three men together have put together a great album. The disc, which is unique for being the first soundtrack for a book I have ever heard of, touts 13 innovative and wonderfully arranged and performed tracks.
The first, seventh and last tracks are spoken entries from what we can assume will be from the book (with accompanying instrumentals). Judging from the scanned pages included as a CD extra (put this thing in your computer, people!), "X-Mas in Hell" has been worded slightly differently to make it more sensical out of the book's context. Its accompanying rock rendition of "Carol of the Bells" is appropriate and well done. "Intermission" with its accompanying music seems somewhat inspired by circus music (and vaguely reminds of Motley Crue's recent Carnival of Sins tour, but maybe that's just me). "Life After Death," wraps up the overall message (drugs can ruin you, but there is always a chance for redemption if you survive) nicely.
Many of the other songs have this element of spoken word as well. Nikki doesn't sing, so getting to hear his voice is always like a bonus for me, and he's all over this CD. We hear him to some degree on just about every track, either at the beginning, like with the previously mentioned tracks, or at the end, like in "Girl With Golden Eyes," where he reads through the first ten days of his detox with increasing fervor (fantastically, I might add). Previous to this, my only option for Nikki audio sources was in "El Paso" on his 58, Diet for a New America CD (which I also recommend).
I sampled each of the tracks here on Amazon weeks before I got my hands on the CD, and I have to say each sample does absolutely no justice to the full song, which play in order magnificently. They truly feel like you could be listening to them in the background while reading the book: like a movie score. "Courtesy Call" in particular, with it's haunting steady beat, feels like it should be playing on a loop as I read whatever section of the book it is presumably inspired by (and when I find it, I'll do just that).
On the whole, all of the songs seem to be not only themed after parts of the book, but also each set a unique mood or present a particular complicated emotion: "Tomorrow" is forwarning; "Accidents Can Happen" is consoling; "Heart Failure" is ominous; "Girl with Golden Eyes" is solemn.
The CD is all over the place in terms of style and energy as well. Not only between songs, but also within them. "Van Nuys" starts out awkwardly, but kicks into something that feels completely different: forshadowing, in a way, to the trainwreck we are about to be witness to. "Dead Man's Ballet" and "Permission" (which begins like a country ballad) had this almost gospel feel to them in the chorus parts, particularly towards the ends. I could seriously picture an all-male gospel chorus in the background, and can only hope to see one if these guys ever decided to take this thing on the road (something we can probably only dream of).
The lyrics seem almost too blunt at times (the furthest metaphor is "girl with golden eyes" easily substituted for heroin), a fact that often puts me off on music (and a point which might be why the samples do no justice to the songs), but they work fabulously here. What of the Diaries I have read now, it is just as blunt, and Nikki himself is just as blunt. They are utterly appropriate and complete the feel of the CD when listened to as a whole.
The singles are also well-chosen. "Life Is Beautiful" has actually gotten serious radio airplay (here, at least), and with good reason! The song is moving, powerful, and most importantly for a single's success, catchy. I haven't heard a new Motley song on the radio in years (and incidentally, you don't need to even be a Motley Crue fan to enjoy this CD). You get the old hits, sure, but the new stuff is always ignored. It might be because people regard them as an "old band that's had all the hits they're ever going to have, so why bother considering anything new," but it might more reasonably be because their style lacks the kind of edge and range that is in vogue now ("hair metal" out; "nu metal" in). Of course, when they've tried to challenge that assumption, they've been railed against by their base as straying too far from who they are, so they're kind of stuck. Nikki Sixx learned that lesson hard with the '94 album (without Vince) and has avoided doing his edgier work within the confines of the band ever since. Nikki's former project (before Brides of Destruction), 58, with its fantastically dark, funny, funky style, is the closest to this we've seen from him, though that project didn't have enough radio appeal to make it a hit. At this point, with this CD, I wouldn't be surprised if the other single, "Pray For Me" were heard around.
In all, I'd say if you like Motley Crue, particularly Nikki Sixx (and any of his other side projects), you're going to like this CD. If you like the single, "Life is Beautiful," you'll probably like a lot of the other songs on this disc, even though that song is the only one of its kind (high energy/power song; perfect for a radio single). There's something here for every taste (unless you hate rock music) and, though the language and subject matter can get heavy, the message is a noble one (drug'll kill ya; life is good).
The CD comes with extras: the music video for "Life Is Beautiful" and a "sneak peek" of the book, and this isn't any snippet either; for your money you not only get 13 fantastic tracks and a music video, you also get 32 full (color) pages scanned from the book. I'd say money well spent.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible Journey, August 21, 2007
This soundtrack is absolutely incredible. It has a very theatrical sound which puts the listener completely in tune with Nikki's addiction and diary thoughts. Extremely powerful and moving. I've owned the CD for 8 hours now and have already listened to it several times. Once you begin with Track #1, you need to complete the journey all the way through Track 13. Now that I've heard the soundtrack, I can't wait for the book to arrive next month.
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